“Death is not  
a foe, but an
inevitable 
adventure.” 
Sir Oliver Lodge  

I came across an article a few months ago that stated, “The SSA (Social Security Administration) estimates a remaining life expectancy of 13.25 years for an exact age of 72.” What a coincidence! I turned 72 on June 4 of this year, so I did a bit of calculating. Using the prediction of the SSA, the estimated date of my death is September 4, 2039. I’ll be 85 years old at that time.

Generally speaking, I’m in fairly good health. At my annual physical two weeks ago, my weight was proportional to my height, my blood pressure was 116/61, my pulse rate was 62, and results of all the bloodwork were excellent. I walk an average of more than 5,000 steps per day, and on some days as many as 40,000 steps (20 miles). Despite these factors, I am well-aware that tomorrow is promised to no one. 

I’m not afraid of death. My approach to dying is much like my overall approach to life: it is what it is. I have no control over many aspects of my life. Similarly, I have no control over the date of my death. I can, however, set a goal for myself — and I have. 

For a variety of reasons, my goal is to live until July 31, 2043. I’ll be 89 years old at that time. Why this particular date? Intuition. 

In July 2043, my sons will be 57, 55, and 51 years old. I was 54 when my father died. 

The 31st of July in 2043 will be a Friday. I was born on Friday, June 4, 1954. And I like the description of “Friday’s child” in the 1836 nursery rhyme by A.E. Bray: “Friday’s child is loving and giving.”

Throughout my lifetime, I was fortunate to have been educated in Jesuit schools: Saint Ignatius College Prep, Santa Clara University, and the University of San Francisco. I’ve also been significantly influenced by Ignatian spirituality. July 31st is the feast day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order. 

Ironically, my Dad died on July 31, 2008. Dad is also the reason I aim to live until 2043. The number 43 was his special number. In the years since his passing, this number continually shows up in my life in myriad ways. Each time I see it, I have a sense of Dad’s presence in my life.

Some people might be uncomfortable with me discussing the date of my death. I embrace the attitude of author J.K. Rowling. She said, “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” I have always considered myself to be well-organized, and I, too, see the inevitability of my death as the beginning of an entirely new adventure. 

Apple founder Steve Jobs also had a positive outlook on death. He wrote, “Death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”

Herman Hesse, the 1946 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature, said this about death: “The call of death is a call of love. Death can be sweet if we answer it in the affirmative, if we accept it as one of the great eternal forms of life and transformation.”

One day at a time!